Ellen Myrick Publisher Preview: Spring/Summer 2025 – Nosy Crow, nubeOCHO & Pajama Press

You know the drill! I tell you about the cool new books coming out from the little guys. You seek and find and adore them. Easy peasy!

They are….

Toddler Talk series: All Gone! and Let’s Go! by Carolina Búzio

Publication Date: June 03, 2025

Let’s Go! ISBN: 9798887771649
All Gone! ISBN: 9798887771656

Begin with the board books. Most of us do, after all. Now I’m sure you’ve your fair share of first word titles. Like tiny little dictionaries, they are. This series is a little different. They aren’t first word books but first “phrase” books. Kind of a cool idea, right? And yes. Don’t worry. There’s definitely a mirror at the end.

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The Wide Wide Sea by by Anna Wilson, ill. Jenny Løvlie

Publication Date: May 27, 2025

ISBN: 9798887771557

Oh, I really like this one! I had a chance to read it myself the other day and there were a great many things about it that I thought worked well. first off, you have the intergenerational aspect with a grandma and grandchild. Second, I love that the grandma is lithe and strong (you can find such grandmas in books but they’re not quite the norm). In this story the two humans connect with a seal in the sea. Not long thereafter they see all this trash on the beach and it causes them to make a pledge to take care of this place. It’s a model for community action and understanding of how to take care of the other creatures. Best of all, it does all of that at a really simple level, so it’s appropriate for younger readers.

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Beasts from the Deep by Matt Ralphs, ill. Kaley McKean

Publication Date: May 6, 2025

ISBN: 9798887771717

This definitely marks the first time I’ve seen the “University of Cambridge” get mentioned on the cover of a children’s book. That probably has something to do with the fact that it was created in consultation with marine biologist Dr. Helen Scales alongside Dr. Roz Wade from the Museum of Zoology. Kids aren’t gonna care about that, though. They’re going to be a lot more interested in the fact that the book is printed in two different types of fluorescent ink (orange AND green!). The weirdos of the deep get their day in the sun as this book takes a deep dive into the trenches. Best of all? Pages even fold out!

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Supa Nova by Chanté Timothy

Publication Date: June 3, 2025

ISBN: 9798887771335

Nosy Crow seems, as a publisher, to be mightily invested in what’s going on in our oceans these days. After all, in this new STEM-oriented graphic novel series, our scientist heroine decides that the best way to clean up plastic from the ocean is to create a plastic-eating monster. What could possibly go wrong? Don’t recognize the name Chanté Timothy? That’s because she’s a rising star in the UK. Basically this the tale of a kid who loves exploring things in the scientific world. Looks fun!

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The Doughnut Club by Kristina Rahim

Publication Date: May 6, 2025

ISBN: 9798887771533

A middle grade novel! That’s a switch. But there’s always at least one in a good preview, isn’t there? Okay, a couple things to know. First, Kristina Rahim won the PDF Queer Prize for emerging writers in the UK for this title, which was her author debut. Next, the story is a bout a girl who is seeking out her donor siblings in the hopes that she gets along with them better than she does with her own family. The name of the book? It comes from someone mishearing the name “donor”. Trouble is, now it’s got me all kinds of hungry for doughnuts. Nom nom nom.

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The Girl Who Wore Pants / Los Pantalones de Luisa by Susanna Isern, by Ester Gili

Publication Date: April 1, 2025

English ISBN: 9788410074866

Spanish ISBN: 9788410074842

I love discovering artists I’ve never encountered before. Esther Gili? I think I’m your newest fan. This woman knows a thing or two about capturing emotion (check out the images below). And that talent certainly comes in hand with this biography of Puerto Rican activist Luisa Capatillo. Set around the turn of the last century, Luisa’s the kind of kid who loves exploring in the jungle and reading. It’s only logical that she should come up with the idea of wearing pants because it’s more practical. Trouble is, that’s not exactly allowed, so Luisa has to defend the right to do so. Heck, she takes it all the way to court. Consider Luisa an amazing figure in history in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean in general. Best of all? It’s simultaneously available in both English and Spanish.

Red Canoe Shows Up at Two by Victoria Allenby

Publication Date: June 3, 2025

ISBN: 9781772783445

GAH! I LOVE this series! Have you seen these before? They’re a little bigger than board books but they’re definitely sturdy. I think Ellen Myrick called it a “toddler tough format”. One of my particular favorites in the past was Shape Up, Construction Trucks. In this latest title, young readers have a chance to learn about time and colors at the same time. So cool! These books may exceedingly simple, but so much thought goes into them.

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Chidori: A Story of One Thousand Birds by Jennifer Maruno, ill. Miki Sato

Publication Date: April 22, 2025

ISBN: 9781772783162

Miki Sato! Man, do I love that woman’s work. Just last year she did the incredible images for the book The Noisy Puddle. Now she’s helped to bring to life a pretty serious story. Taking place in Japan, Hana is at school when a tsunami hits Japan. With her mother gone as a result, her grandmother teaches her the art of sumi-e ink painting. From it, Hana is able to use the image of Chidori (a special kind of art) as a way to deal with her grief by drawing birds.

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And that’s all we have today! Thanks once more to Ellen Myrick and Publisher’s Spotlight for bringing these gorgeous looking books to my attention!

Filed under: Publisher Previews